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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Lobbyist arrested for sexual assault in Bailey's Crossroads

Rappoport [FCPD photo]

A Fairfax County
Police source has confirmed that Sloan Wilson Rappoport, arrested March 18 in
connection with a sexual assault at Ross Dress for Less in Bailey’s Crossroads,
is the same Sloan W. Rappoport who is a vice president at Downey McGrath Group Inc, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm. Rappoport was removed from the DMG’s
website on March 19.

A police news release says Rappoport, 44, a resident of Military Road in Arlington, was
charged with abduction, sexual battery, and obscene display. He is being held
at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center awaiting arraignment.

Rappoport “advises
clients on a broad range of federal government affairs and public policy
issues,” the Downey McGrath Group website stated. He specializes in international
trade, financial services, healthcare, energy, and the environment and “represents
clients on many of the most significant and controversial issues debated in
Congress, including Dodd-Frank, the Affordable Care Act, and numerous budget
and spending bills.”

Rappoport [DMG]

Before joining
the lobbying firm, Rappoport served in the George Bush Administration as senior
policy advisor to Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and Deputy Secretary Samuel
Bodman. Before that, he held numerous positions on Capitol Hill, including
majority counsel for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

The Police
Department news release says detectives contacted Rappoport after “following up
on a series of tips” and met with him at the Adult Detention Center yesterday at
around 6 p.m.

The incident in
which he was charged took place on Jan. 31. A man approached a 28-year-old
woman who was shopping at the Ross store at 5840 Crossroads Center. She
said he was friendly and spoke to her in Spanish. As she was leaving the store,
the suspect rolled up in a silver Mercedes and offered her a ride. Once she got
in, he locked the doors, drove to a nearby location, and sexually
assaulted her. The victim escaped and fled.

The police do not believe that
suspect is involved in another sexual assault that took place Jan. 29 outside Bob’s Discount Furniture at 5845 Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads.

Jan. 16 - Annual Give Together, a family volunteer event on the Martin Luther King National Day of Service, Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, three shifts (9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.). Sign up with Volunteer Fairfax. 703-246-3828,